Thanks, Dad

Thanks Dad altered book 10x12" closed

The idea for this altered book was born almost 6 years ago when I found the 78 record album of Songs of the Service at our local swap meet. I started collecting ephemera for it and decided early on that I wanted it to be, in part, a tribute to my father who served in the Army Air Corps from September of 1941 to October of 1945.



It was one of those projects that sat patiently in it's box waiting for the right time. When I decided on the theme for my upcoming solo show The Pity of War, I knew the time had come.



I used craft acrylics in leaf green, toffee and cream and scrubbed them over 4 of the record sleeves, the remaining one was done in red, blue and cream.
Vintage photos, medals, stripes, buttons, dogtags and papers were used to decorate the sleeves and covers. The sleeves hold old sheet music, a 78 recording of "The Army Air Corps Song", a "Theory of Flight" book issued to new recruits in the Air Corps, and a newspaper from D-Day, among other memorabilia.



Pictures of my Dad are scattered throughout, culminating on the last page with a wedding picture of my parents on October 28, 1945, my Dad proudly wearing his uniform with his beautiful bride on his arm.



The show, which opens April 8 at the Cambria Arts Center, will feature two altered books, this one and one based on WWI called The Pity of War, in addition to 18 mixed media collages.